The present invention relates to automatic weapons using centrifugal force to propel projectiles.
A gradual evolution in small caliber weapons development has occurred over the last 20 years with the emphasis being towards high rates of fire, saturation fire in the general direction of the perceived enemy position and the ever increasing awareness of the need to ensure the weapon crew survivability during missions. Prolonged saturation fire exposes the weapon crew to return fire from the enemy which detects their position.
Weapons that use centrifugal force instead of an explosive powder propellant for launching the projectiles have been known in the prior art. One type of centrifugally operated gun involves straight radially extending barrels such as those shown in McNaier U.S. Pat. No. 1,472,080 and Allemann U.S. Pat. No. 3,177,862. A limitation of such a construction is that the power required to rotate the radial barrel is too great to develop an economically feasible rapid fire weapon. In Allemann U.S. Pat. No. 3,177,862, radial gun barrels are incorporated within the helicopter blades which would slow down the speed of rotation of the blades due the absorption of energy by the projectile as the projectiles pass through the barrels.
Another type of centrifugal gun includes a gun barrel having an arcuate rather than radial construction. Such construction, however, has limited the speed of the projectiles for various reasons including (i) rotation of the bullet in a direction reverse to travel direction of the projectile and (ii) the provision of a peripheral barrier which prevents emission of the projectile at the precise moment that it achieves its maximum speed at the exit end of the barrel. Illustrative of such weapons are Brown U.S. Pat. No. 1,240,815, Blair U.S. Pat. No. 1,284,999, Parsons U.S. Pat. No. 1,408,137 and Baden-Powell U.S. Pat. No. 1,662,629.
Associated with the foregoing type of gun has been the problem of overcoming the strong gyroscopic reaction force of a rotating impeller that resists turning and moving a gun when aiming in a plane that is not perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the impeller. One solution proposed in Tobin U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,655 is to provide a first impeller which rotates clockwise to offset the second impeller which rotates counterclockwise and thereby nullify the gyroscopic reaction.
Most prior art weapons have relied upon gravity feed of the projectiles through a hopper design with some form of screw device to aid projectile movement into desired channels or barrels. Such gravity feed loading systems are not able to feed the desired amount of projectiles in any centrifugal operated weapon at high speeds since the rotating member that provides the centrifugal force to propel the projectiles expels the projectiles much faster than any gravity feed loading system can supply. Thus, the rate of fire of these weapons is restricted by having the rate of fire controlled by gravity fed loading systems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel automatic weapon utilizing centrifugal force which provides both a high rate of discharge (rounds per minute) and high muzzle velocity.
It is also an object to provide such an automatic weapon which operates in a continuous stealth mode to increase its operational capabilities and the survivability of the weapon crew.
Another object is to provide such a weapon which effectively eliminates overheating, jamming, the need for synchronized feeding and peripheral discharge, and any requirement for mechanical compensation for possible gyroscopic reaction.
A further object is to provide such a weapon which has the capability of firing thousands of rounds per minute at high velocities with a continuous supply of projectiles and without the need for feed to fire synchronization, and without incorporating some form of gyroscopic control system and some form of balancing device.
It has now been found that the foregoing and related objects may be readily attained in a weapon for centrifugally discharging projectiles at a rapid rate comprising a housing in which is rotatably supported a disc having a multiplicity of feed channels extending radially therein and opening at the periphery of the disc. The feed channels receive a multiplicity of projectiles and are configured adjacent the periphery of the disc to orient the projectiles in a single file. Projectile locking means are associated with each of the channels and are located adjacent the periphery of the disc. The locking means includes a multiplicity of stops movable between a first position within the channel to preclude movement of the outermost projectiles outwardly of the channel and a second position removed from the channel to permit movement of a projectile thereby and for moving the stops between the first and second positions.
The weapon also includes means for actuating the moving means as the disc rotates to move the outermost stop into the second position and release the outermost projectile while the adjacent stop restrains the adjacent projectile and thereafter the actuating means releases the adjacent stop to allow the next projectile to move outwardly until restricted by the first stop which has moved back into the first position thereof. The projectiles are discharged from the channels into a guide rail in the housing extending substantially about the periphery of the disc and it has an opening therein to allow the projectiles entering therein to be discharged. Also provided are motor means for rotating the disc, and control means for the motor means.
Preferably, there are at least three stops in each channel to position three projectiles and the moving means releases the outermost projectile and allows the next two projectiles to move outwardly to the next stop. Desirably, the stops are rollers in apertures communicating with the channel and movable upwardly and downwardly between the first and second positions.
The moving means includes at least one locking cam movable axially of the channel to effect movement of the stops between the first and second positions. The moving means also includes cam members acting upon the locking cam. The actuating means is located at a point spaced from the opening in the guide rail to release the outermost projectile sequentially from the channels as the disc rotates thereby.
In one embodiment, there are replaceable tubes in the channels in which projectiles are preloaded.
In another embodiment, the disc has a feed aperture in its center and the feed channels extend between the feed aperture and the periphery of the disc. A feed mechanism is disposed above the feed aperture and has feed passages alignable with the channels in the disc for passage of projectiles into the feed channels. The feed mechanism is engageable with the disc to rotate therewith, and the control means reduces the rotational speed of the motor and disc during feeding of projectiles into the feed channels.